How to Make the Ultimate Po'Boy

It's often said that the bread makes the sandwich, and the po'boy is no exception to this rule. Ask a New Orleans native and they will likely point you to Leidenheimer, the leading baker of po'boy bread, or John Gendusa Bakery, which invented the bread used today. If you're not lucky enough to live anywhere near these bakeries, look for a wide, symmetrical French loaf without pointy ends. Chef Brian Jupiter says, "Don't use baguette and think that you are making a po'boy. [The] bread should be soft and airy with [a] slightly crisp crust." Go with locally made breads or breads baked in-house rather than mass-produced breads trucked across the country.

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Don't Be Stingy

Load that po'boy up with a generous serving of fried seafood. "Fried seafood makes the best po'boys and don't skimp on the meat!" says Jupiter. Using shrimp as an example, he says, "Places… frustrate me when they make their shrimp po'boys with only six pieces of shrimp."

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How to Shuck Oysters

1. Clean the outside of the oyster shell with a stiff brush to remove any excess dirt or mud.

2. Wrap the oyster in a towel with the hinge sticking out.

3. Insert the tip of an oyster knife near the hinge about half an inch. Make sure you use a special oyster knife instead of a regular kitchen knife for your safety.

4. Secure the oyster in the towel, and slide the knife around the lip of the oyster until you reach the other side of the hinge, keeping it as level as possible. Keep the knife inserted about half an inch and the tip pointed slightly up.

5. Twist the oyster knife to detach the muscle from the top shell.

6. Then, use the oyster knife to detach the bottom shell and to remove excess debris.

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Use Cornmeal

Cornmeal and oysters go together like salt and pepper, at least when you're frying them. Cornmeal lends a distinct flavor and a nice crunch to the oysters, and is the traditional way of preparing fried oysters for po'boys. Jupiter uses a 2:1 ratio of all-purpose flour to cornmeal in his recipe.

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Season, Season, Season

Just as important as seasoning after frying is seasoning before frying. Jupiter seasons his flour-cornmeal mixture with a generous amount of Cajun spice, salt, and pepper.

Jupiter says to always get the po'boys dressed, which in po'boy-ordering vernacular means, "Always top with shredded lettuce, tomato, pickle, and mayo." Don't get tempted to cut corners here — it's important to cut the shredded lettuce from a whole head of lettuce instead of using pre-shredded bags, and we think it's folly to bother with the tomato if it's out of season.

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Even Better

Mayonnaise is a must, but if you really want to turn up the flavor factor, make remoulade sauce. Jupiter's version adds some heat with a good dose of Louisiana hot sauce.

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The Recipe

Armed with the right tips, it's time now to make your very own oyster po'boy.

The po'boy sandwich, much like the muffaletta, is a fixture of New Orleans cuisine. And, like the muffaletta, it has many variations — some might argue, even more. That's because the po'boy has undergone a bit of a renaissance in New Orleans, with new kids on the block making reimagined versions with liver cheese, grilled shrimp, and roasted duck, to name a few examples. And now there's even a "Vietnamese po'boy" that's become popular, otherwise known as a banh mi, whose endearing nickname points to a growing affinity among locals for the "new" sandwich.

But even the traditional po'boys come in many variations. Walking into a typical po'boy shop in the Big Easy means confronting a nearly paralyzing array of choices, including juicy fried oysters, perfectly fried shrimp, flaky fried catfish, crunchy soft-shell crab (fried, of course), ham and cheese, sausage, or even meatballs. And let's not forget about roast beef and gravy, topped with french fries. So in figuring out how to make the ultimate po'boy, we first had to pick one.

Which one did we go with? While the first "poor boy" sandwich created in 1929 during a streetcar strike featured potatoes and beef gravy, we decided to go with the fried oyster po'boy for its fame throughout the country. So we tapped chef Brian Jupiter, New Orleans native and executive chef for Pioneer Tavern Group, for some tips on how to make the ultimate po'boy and his childhood recipe. His simple advice rests on having the right ingredients and taking the time to prepare them with loving care.